Ericsson[4]’s platform will allow Swisscom (Worblaufen, Switzerland) to grow according to demand from its enterprise customers from different industries. The pay-as-you-grow business model allows the operator a fast time to market, says Swisscom. Ericsson’s M2M solution can be adapted to different vertical M2M markets.

According to Swisscom[5], several hundred thousand machines are already connected in Switzerland. Swisscom predicts that this number will grow significantly in the coming years, and that in the long run, the addressable market will comprise up to 100 million connected devices and machines in Switzerland alone.

Industries that benefit from M2M communication are typically utilities, government, transport and healthcare, but the potential for its use extends well beyond that, says the telecom operator.

“We are entering this partnership – in which Ericsson supports us not only with its M2M connectivity platform, but also with its extensive experience of the worldwide M2M market,” says Urs Schaeppi, head of Swisscom Corporate Business Unit.